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29.06.2026 10:10

Global regulation for global platform work

“Today they are no longer invisible,” said Amanda Brown, who served as the workers’ negotiator in the ILO negotiations on platform work, in her closing remarks. Ronja Marjander explains on the blog what that means and how it was achieved.

The ILO convention on platform work was adopted on 12 June 2026. It made platform workers visible also at the level of global regulation.

The ILO gathers for its annual conference in Geneva at the turn of May and June. This year I was able to follow the conference in Geneva as part of the Nordic trade unions’ “Geneva School”. At the conference, representatives of governments, employers and workers from around the world come together to tackle global challenges in working life.

A key theme this year was the preparation of an global convention on platform work. Negotiations on it began already last year. For a long time it seemed that the convention might not be adopted. The conference outcome, however, was the historic adoption of the ILO convention on platform work.

I have followed the development of platform work for years, so it was a meaningful experience to watch the convention being prepared.

National implementation is crucial

Platform workers have often been described as invisible, even though couriers and transport services workers in particular are a very visible part of our streets. Platform workers are not found only in Europe; the phenomenon has spread across the globe. For example, there are more than 200 million platform workers in China, and in Africa platform workers have already become an established part of the urban landscape.

The status of platform workers has been debated around the world for years. Work is organised by digital algorithms rather than by typical managerial arrangements, and no one has seemed sure whether platform workers are truly employees or independent entrepreneurs. Solutions to the problems of platform work have varied between countries, which has caused increasing uncertainty.

In the European Union, the platform work directive was finally approved in December 2024 after long negotiations. Member states are currently preparing national legislation to implement the rights created by the EU directive. The directive’s impact therefore remains to be seen. Global-level challenges have been addressed at the ILO for years. The new international convention on platform work now adopted significantly strengthens the position of platform workers on digital labour platforms at the global level.

Overall, the convention represents a significant step toward a fairer platform economy. For the first time it creates a comprehensive international protection framework for platform work and reinforces workers’ fundamental rights in a rapidly changing working life. The next step is national ratification by member states, after which the obligations will be brought into national law.

A good basis to build on

Different countries’ labour market systems and legal traditions have complicated reaching an international solution. The perspectives of workers and employers have been very different. Platform companies have also been actively involved in the process. It must also be recognised that although the positions of workers and employers are internally consistent within their groups, the benefits and challenges of platform work vary between countries.

Due to their starting positions, the negotiations were long and difficult. All parties had to make compromises — but that’s how tripartite international lawmaking invariably works.

It was a great experience to follow how an international convention is prepared. Even difficult issues can reach common understanding when the parties have the will. I learned a tremendous amount by following the committee sessions preparing the convention and by listening to, among other things, how different governments view platform work.

We have taken another step to improve platform workers’ status. This is a good basis to continue.

The blog author, Ronja Marjander, is a PAM lawyer.

The ILO platform work convention in a nutshell

The convention confirms

  • platform workers’ entitlement to the same fundamental labour rights as other workers
  • these are: freedom of association, the right to collectively negotiate working conditions, the right to a safe and healthy working environment, non-discrimination, and the prevention of child labour and forced labour.

The convention recognizes

  • the insecure position of platform workers that results from misclassification as entrepreneurs and gaps in social protection
  •  requires member states to ensure correct classification based on the nature of the work.

The convention addresses

  • algorithmic management, strengthening the right to obtain information about harmful decisions and to human review in the use of decision-making technologies.

Keywords:

international cooperation Platform economy

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